A Dog Named Biscuit, Dead for About Five Years, Got a Virginia Rights-Restoration Certificate; a GOP Delegate Demands an Investigation and Spanberger's Office Says It Was Not a Dog

A constituent in Goochland County opened an official letter restoring the voting and jury-service rights of his dog, Fox News Digital reports.

The letter. The owner, who asked not to be named to avoid political backlash, confirmed to Fox that the certificate is genuine. Biscuit was a beagle-hound mix who died about five years ago. The owner said the dog was "a good dog and is greatly missed," was never convicted of a felony, "nor did she ever show any interest in voting," and never had contact with Richmond that could have put her on the voting rolls. The owner added that a sibling is currently incarcerated, but said that is beside the point because the governor's effort covers only released former convicts.

The demand. Del. Tom Garrett, a Republican from Buckingham who received the letter from the owner, is calling for an investigation and an independent audit of Gov. Abigail Spanberger's restoration actions. He wants the record behind the name "Biscuit Rigsby" disclosed, along with what the governor's office means by a "review of the particulars" of each case, how many certificates went to deceased, nonexistent or duplicate people, and immediate preservation of the relevant data. "Biscuit was a dog. Biscuit has been dead for five years," Garrett said. He also said his questions are not partisan, and that Virginians who back restoration should be as troubled as he is.

The response. A Spanberger spokesperson told Fox, "Of course we did not restore the rights of a dog. We cannot disclose this individual's information, but we can tell you that it is associated with a person with a date of birth and Social Security number." Fox says it asked what error may have occurred and did not get an answer.

The context. Fox links the case to the earlier "Betty No Last Name" controversy in Chesapeake. The administration said in July that Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King would proactively identify and confirm eligible Virginians, and in August Spanberger announced that about 100,000 people had received restoration of rights since she took office in January. Virginians vote Tuesday on a ballot measure that would make restoration automatic on release from incarceration.

Note for readers: the governor's office disputes that a dog was restored and says the record is tied to a real person. Fox says it asked what error may have occurred and had no answer, so how the name ended up on the certificate is still unexplained. Garrett's remarks, including his question about "malfeasance," are his own.